Gaseous fuel mixer



` June 15,1943. W. KWEST I 2,321,719

GASEOUS FUEL MIXER Filed June 27, 1941 Y Patented June 15, 1943 UNITEDSTATES Y PATENT OFFICE s, 1 t 2,321,719 I dessous Funnix/.Iman williams.West, Montebello, sauf. Application June 27, 1941, Serial No. 400,139 yfouine (cria-1cm My invention relates` to a gaseous fuel' mining deviceand has fcrits principal object,'the proe vision of a relativelysimple,practical, andinexpensive structure designed to be located inthe conduitfrom the conventional carbureter to the intake manifoldof an internalcombustion engine, andthe construction ofthe device being suchas tobring about completeV gasification of the carbu'reted mixture before itentersy the intakemanifold and theV engine'cylinders, thus insuringmaterial increase of power when-the compressed fuel Vcharges are ignitedwithin the combustion chambers of the engine and minimizing theproduction of the carbon that usually attends the combustionoffcarburet'ed liquidlhy'drocarbon.;

f VA "iurther object o'fjmy invention is,` to provide a gaseous fuelmixingfdevicefwhich in service will in no wise act as a choke or baiiiefor the carbureted mixture asY it passes Afrom thecarbureter through themiXing'device to the intake mani- ',fld, and further, toconstruct themixing device sothat it will automatically function to reduce 'andequalize any pressure that may develop in the gaseous fuel as it flowsfrom `the carbureter tothe intake manifold.

A further object o'fmy invention is, to .provide 'a gaseous fuel mixerof the character referred'to that comprises but few parts that arerigidly positioned within a housingand said parts being provided withsmall' apertures, each surrounded by il" sharp burrs that Vare'fonrmedfrom the metallby the tool used in punching lthe apertures and cf liquidhydrocarbon may be converted into gas'-` eous fuel that will functionwith equal advantage and with the same amount-Lof power as high gradegasoline or liquid hydrocarbon that has been treated with lead anl'without ythe Vdevelopment of engine ping or poundigl iWith the foregoingand other objects in View.'

my invention consistsfin' certain novel features of construction andarrangementv of parts that will' be hereinafter more fully described andclaimed and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing in whichz" l Fig. .1is a verticallongitudinal section taken In this conthrough the center ofa gaseous fuel mixer con structed in accordance with my invention andshowing the same associatedV with a carbureter and the intakemanifold ofan internal combustion engine.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section of a portion of one of the wallsof the perforated members that are located on the interior of the mixingdevice.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 and showing a modified formof the perforated wall.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing which illustrates apreferred embodi nientof my invention, I0 designates the conventionalcarbureter of an internal combustion engine and' leading therefrom tothe intake manifold II of the engine is a ductl I2. In order toaccommodate my improved mixing device, this duct iis formed in twoparts, the upper part depending from the carbureter and the lower partprojecting upwardly from the intake manifold. The mixer of my inventionincludes a housing i3, preferably rectangular in form and which isarranged between and suitably connected to the ends of the members ofduct I2. Formed in the tcp'andbottom walls of the housing I3 areopenings lithat communicate with the passageways through thefme'mbersforming the duct I2.

Formed integral with or fixed to the bottom wall of the housing on thetop thereof and adjacent `the front and rear walls are longitudinallydisposed` ribs I5 and supported thereon with their lower edges spacedashort distance above the upper face of the bottom wall of the housingare transversely disposed inverted V-shaped members i, preferably formedof thin sheet metal, and each member comprising two thin walls, onelying directly on top'of the other.

In the drawing I have shown four of these elements I E in the lowerportion of the housing, but it will be understood that this numbrnV maybe increased or decreased inaccordance with different requirements.

'The bilateral parts of these members it are disposed substantiallyninety degrees apart and their Y housingl. Formed in the centralportions of tod the outer walls of the outer members if? or those vialisthat areimmediately adjacent the walls housing I3, are invertedV-sha-ped notches Il, and formed in the lower edges of the inner wallsof the outer pair of inverted V-shaped mem bers are segmental notchesI8, the area of the latter notches being considerably greater than theyarea of the notches l1.

Formed in the lower edges of the walls of the intermediate invertedV-shaped members i6 midway between the ends thereof are segmentalnotches lil that are practically identical in size with the notches I8.Y

The notches Il and l just described together with notchesv formed in theends of the perforated element that is located in the upper half of theAhousing I3, in addition to providing for a uniform flow and .fordirecting such flow through Ythe chamber within the housing and whichchamber is occupied by the perforated elements, function part of eachinverted V-shaped element l isV provided throughout its entire area withaper tures 22 formed with a suitable punch and as a result of theformation of said apertures, the material adjacent each aperture forms adownwardly presentedY burr composed of sharp attenuated metal points. Y

The apertures Eil and 22 in the sheets of metal forming theelements i6are disposed directly.,

opposite each other in order 'that gaseousV fuel may Yilow throughjsaidapertures and, in entering and leaving said apertures, the gaseous fuelimpinges against the burrs 2l and 23 so as to be effectively broken upand further gasiied.

The` apertures 2s and 22 with their surround-l ing burrs 2l and 23 aresimilar to the perforations and burrs of culinary utensils such asnutmeg and vegetable graters. Y Y

YPositioned within the upper half ofthe chamber within the housing .i3is an inverted V-shaped member 2li composed of two thin sheets of metal,one lying immediately on top of the other, and

the lower edges of this member bear on the ends .y

of the apices of members l5 immediately adjacent the front and rearwalls of the housing, with the apex of said member 2d positionedVimmediately beneath the top wall of the housing midway between the frontand rear walls thereof.

The lower corner at one end of one of the walls of member 2 is cut awayto form an opening and the opposite end of the other wall is likewisecut away to form a similar opening 25. These openings 25 and 26cooperate with the openings Il and ii! that are formed in the walls ofthe lowerl row of perforated members l in controlling the flow ofgaseous fuel through the device and likewise for counteracting unduepressures that might otherwise develop within Vvprovided with apertures,each surrounded by downwardly projecting burr 23.

element that is immediately beneath the end of that portion of the ductl2 that leads from the carburetor to the housing I3, is provided withonly a few perforations, and as a result of such arrangement the greaterportion of the gaseous fuel discharging into the housing from the ductis baffled and caused to pass radially outward in all directions overthe perforated walls of the upper member.

Due to the suction produced in the intake manifold by the pistonsoperating within the engine cylinders, the gaseous mixture is drawn fromthe carburetor downwardly into the upper portion of the chamber withinthe housing i3 wardly over the inclined surfaces oi the lower perforatedmembers It and in passing through the registering apertures 2&3 and 22,said mixture impinges against and is further broken up and gasied bycontact with the burrs 2l and 23.

From the chambers beneath the perforated members I6 the fuel Yin highlygasied condition discharges through the lower one of the openings Hlinto the intake manifold. e

Thus the gaseous fuel in a highly gasified and mixed condition entersthe combustion chambers of the engine and is ignited therein so as toproduce maximum power without the undesirable ping and knock and withoutthe formation of carbon, which latter as is well known materially cutsdown engine efficiency.

By providing a mixing device that enables low grade and inexpensiveliquid hydrocarbons to be utilized as fuel, brings about a verydesirable feature of internal combustion engine operation, namely, thecounteracting of the abnormally high temperatures that ordinarily attendthe use of high grade fuels or those that have been treatedA with leador the like.

Y The combined area of the apertures formed in the perforated members i6and 2li is considerably greater than the area of the passageway throughthe member l2 that leads from the carburetor to the intake manifold andthus the mixing device does not in any way choke or retardY the iiow ofgaseous fuel from the carburetor to the manifold and any tendency ofunduepressures to develop within the housing is counteracted by theopenings il, I8, i9, and 25 which function as bleeds or pressure reliefopenings.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a modified construction wherein theinverted V-shaped members are each formed from a single sheet of thinmetal, the same being perforated to form minute apertures 3B, eachsurrounded by an annular burr 3|, and with the burrs of certain of theapertures projecting outwardly and upwardly and the burrs on the otherapertures projecting inwardly and downwardly.

. A substantially circular area 2,9 at the center Y' Thus it will beseen that I have provided a gaseous fuel Ymixing device that isvrelatively simple Vin construction, inexpensive of manufacture and Veryeffective Vin performing the functions for which it is intended. Y Itwill be understood that minor changes in the size, form and constructionof the various parts of my improved gaseous fuel mixer, may be made andsubstituted for those herein shown and described, Without departing fromthe spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set fortln` in theappended claims. Y

I claim as my invention:

1. In a gaseous fuel mixing device, a housing provided with inlet andoutletopenings, ay plu.- ralityk of inverted V-shaped memberstransversely disposedv withinthe lower portion of the chamber Within`said. housing each inverted yV-shaped `member comprising a pair ofidentical walls disposed one above and in direct contact i with theother, the lower edges of which members are elevated with respect to thebottom of Y Vtbe housing, the upper` wall of each inverted Y V-shapedmembercb'eing provided with apertures,

upwardly projecting burrs surrounding said apertures the lower Wall ofeach inverted V-shaped member being provided with apertures and with`downwardly projecting burrs surrounding said apertures, an invertedV-shaped member Within the upper portion of the chamber Within saidhousing and disposed at right angles to the first mentioned invertedV-shaped members seid last mentioned inverted V-shaped member comprisinga pair of identical walls, one disposed above and in direct contact withthe other, the upper wall of said last mentioned upper inverted V-shapedmember being provided with perforations and upwardly projecting burrssurrounding said perforations and the lower Wall of said last mentionedinverted V-shaped member being provided with perforations and withdownwardly projecting burrs surrounding said perforations.

2. A gaseous fuel mixing device as set forth in claim 1 and the Walls ofall of said inverted V-shaped members being provided with pressurerelief openings.

WILLIAM R, WEST.

